Officials in Jasper have released the criteria that must be met before residents will be allowed to return to the town following the ongoing wildfire threat.
According to Parks Canada, the following conditions must be satisfied before re-entry is permitted:
- The wildfire is no longer considered an imminent threat to the townsite.
- Hazards within the townsite have been secured or mitigated.
- Emergency services (fire, EMS, police, and 911 dispatch) are restored to provide a basic level of service.
- Critical services (healthcare, municipal public works, utilities, water and wastewater, electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications) are restored to a basic operational level.
- Essential retail services (grocery, gas, banking, and pharmacy) are available.
- A formal re-entry plan has been approved.
Officials have not provided a timeline for when these conditions might be met.
On Friday, Premier Danielle Smith reminded Albertans of the Fort McMurray evacuation in 2016, noting that residents were out of their homes for 28 days.
Parks Canada also announced this morning that all camping reservations will be cancelled until Tuesday, September 3rd.
